Tuber's death restarts conversation on reining in Labor Day on Sacramento River

CHICO -- The death of Brett Olson on the Sacramento River is bringing new thoughts on what should be done with the annual Labor Day party on the river.

For years, just about every law enforcement agency in the area has helped manage the revelry, which results in many overtime hours.

Glenn County Sheriff Larry Jones said the tally isn't in yet on the manpower to search for Olson over the past week. He disappeared from beer can beach on Sept. 2 and his body was sighted a week later by a fisherman.

In 2011, Assemblyman Dan Logue, R-Loma Rica, authored legislation that was passed, and allowed Glenn and Butte counties to ban alcohol along the river and within 50 feet of the water over long summer weekends.

The Butte County Board of Supervisors passed the emergency measure, but Glenn County did not. Four of five votes were needed, and Glenn County Supervisors Steve Soeth and Dwight Foltz voted no.

Efforts to reach both supervisors on Monday for this story were not successful.

Logue's law is still on the books, said Butte County Deputy County Administrator Sang Kim. But without a vote by both boards of supervisors, it can't be enforced.

Paul Zingg, president of Chico State University, is among those who said the legislation must be revived. In an email to the campus community Monday, Zingg expressed condolences to the family and said local authorities need to "reduce the size of the Labor Day weekend float."

"We absolutely have to revisit this law and put the alcohol ban into effect," Zingg wrote. "Beyond that, I will help convene a meeting of all involved parties, including our student leaders, to see what other steps we must take. It's time for all of us to cooperate and work together not just on managing the Labor Day weekend float, but changing it so it is much smaller and safer."

Since Glenn County supervisors failed to pass the ordinance in August 2011, the board hasn't discussed it again, said supervisors Leigh McDaniel and John Viegas, who both voted for the proposed rules.

Sheriff Jones said he thinks the alcohol ban for the holiday should be revisited.

Alcohol has not been indicated as a major factor in Olson's death. Friends said he had consumed alcohol but was "not over the edge."

An autopsy is in the works, with results to be released in the future, Jones said.

The discussion that led to the "no" vote in Glenn County was lengthy. Jones said agencies would have been "really under the gun" to get signs posted last year.

Supervisor Foltz said a year ago that rules along that stretch of the river could just push tubers to other parts of the water, where it is even more dangerous. Supervisor Soeth said the ordinance would be difficult to enforce.

Jones said this week that it was felt "if we brought (the ordinance up again this year) it would be an exercise in futility."

Jones said he would like to see both Chico State and Butte College begin classes after the Labor Day weekend.

"If there was the possibility to reduce the numbers of participants (in tubing) ... it would be a far more manageable event," Jones said.

Jones said this year there was one rescue of a person who was passed out on an inner tube and several other "legitimate life-saving rescues where people would have drowned."

"It was one thing after another," he continued.

He said many people who are under the legal drinking age also drank before even arriving at the river. Law enforcement checks people for underage possession of alcohol when they enter the river, he said.

Because of the no-glass rules, some tubers have shifted to bag wine, which can be tied to tubes and chilled in the water. This has a higher alcohol content than beer, the sheriff noted.

He said there were also many fights on beer can beach.

Funding for law enforcement has decreased and the Sacramento River event is not receiving as much backup help from other areas, he said.

Staff writer Heather Hacking can be reached at 896-7758, hhacking@chicoer.com, and followed on Twitter @HeatherHacking.